Hey all you Noisebridgers,<br><br>I am meeting with lots of people in our community of people who have a good deal of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solid_modeling#Parametric_modeling" target="_blank">Parametric Modeler</a> experience.<br>

<br>This group is NOT ready for the uninitiated and I have been very selective with the invitations because I want to focus on developing curriculum and leveraging the User Experiences of engineers, architects, machinists, inventors, developers, etc, who already have Solidworks or Inventor experience.<br>

<br>BUT!<br><br>I want the general community to know so that any self starters out there (there's a few....right? ;-) Could get busy with FreeCAD.<br><br><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">FreeCAD is a </span><span class="il" style="background-color:rgb(255,255,204);color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">free</span><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"> tool, an opesource tool, a powerful tool, a tool that is designed to compliment and facilitate the creation and fabrication of things. I</span><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">t is a project (as opposed to product) that is showing massive potential to break us </span><span class="il" style="background-color:rgb(255,255,204);color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px">free</span><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"> of expensive, closed, cumbersome, tools that don't play nice with the rest of the industry.</span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
<br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">What this tool promises is an end...to the seemingly endless...battle with software for designing and building our world.</span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">
<br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:13px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><font color="#222222" face="arial, sans-serif">The nuts and bolts of this tool are in place. It's like a BMW, in all its precision .. just without the sporty interior, the fenders, the windows. We can expect it to do what we need it to do, but the interface, which is very intuitive, is also not complete.<br>
<br>So, while we are not ready to open up our general discussion, we are ready to sew the seeds of interest.<br><br>How do you use a parametric modeler? This is one of the questions we hope to answer with FreeCAD, but we aren't there yet.<br>
<br>WHY...WHY do you use a parametric modeler? This is something we are ready to answer.<br><br>CAD, and parametric modeling, include, is a tool to ARTICULATE ideas and to express COMPLETELY your DESIGN INTENT to other people and to machines so your ideas can become reality. Parametric Modeling is distinct from other forms of 3D modeling in that it allows you to define your models precisely such that there is NO AMBIGUITY to your design intent. Every constraint is defined.<br>
<br>Parametric Modeling also allows you to make changes to your design in an order that allows the changes to be inherited by the rest of your design that is dependent on the constraints that may have changed. This is so that a small modification to length, width, spacing of screw holes, etc, does not require the reworking of all your dependent parts. If you need to make one change that effect multiple part, you make one change, and ultimately, that change is propagated through out your design.<br>
<br>So, GO ON! Get happy! Get excited! Get building in FreeCAD, and take notes and reflect on your user experience, because THIS SOFTWARE...it will shape the world.</font></span>